This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist

After the orders were issued, Shadow.Q addressed the highest-ranking officer seated at the head of the table. "This kind of intel relies heavily on timeliness. Even a second's delay could lead to massive losses. Rita relayed the information to me as soon as she got it. If it's fake, I'll take full responsibility…"

The elder, with a stern expression, replied, "Even if it's fake, no one is to hold Rita accountable, and you won't be blamed either."

The others, busily sending messages and handling tasks, took a moment to reassure Shadow.Q not to worry.

Someone chimed in, "Landon's right. And even if the intel is false, the most we lose are some skill crystals."

Landon waved dismissively. "It's not about wasting resources…"

"I know everyone's afraid of being held responsible. I get it—I went through the same thing. But she's not one of our internal members. She's a lone wolf, representing all lone wolves. She gave us the information, and *we* made the decision to act. If things go wrong and we turn on her, have you considered how the other players would view the Special Affairs Bureau?"

The people around the table had mixed reactions.

What does that even mean? Are you saying that if it were one of our own, we could just share the blame, but outsiders can't? Is shouldering the blame an internal perk of the Bureau?

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Landon was from the system, but he rarely spoke in the polished, subtle tones of bureaucracy. Part of the reason he had been transferred to the Special Affairs Bureau wasn't just his *Divine Gift*; it was because he understood young people.

These days, young people don't understand the subtext and insinuations from their leaders. They wouldn't survive even the first episode of a political drama, and they'd offend every superior within a month of work, only to go home and brag to their parents, "My bosses *love* me~!"

Those who spoke in riddles, used their seniority to manipulate others, or tried to act mysterious didn't belong in the Special Affairs Bureau.

Landon continued, "Shadow.Q, be sure to communicate this method of handling intel to all the lone wolf players. From now on, if they get any kind of intel, they should report it immediately! We'll be the ones to determine whether it's real or not. If it's true, they'll be rewarded; if it's false, no one will be held accountable!"

The Bureau had always made an effort to build good relations with skilled lone wolves, precisely because these individuals had access to unique information and abilities. So, if someone brought in crucial intel, turning around and assigning blame if things went wrong would just be shooting themselves in the foot.

Shadow.Q nodded firmly. "Understood. I'll pass the word along."

---

At the same time, Rita stood in front of a tombstone, deep in thought. She needed to move her teleportation circle. With Blue Star's potential exposure uncertain, the current location was far too risky. What if someone used *Insight* to find it and set up an ambush?

The problem was, she couldn't think of a safe alternative.

Most of the major cities had Bureau outposts, and even the underwater and sky cities might have one. If the Undercity's deputy city lord used *Insight* to discover this, he'd notify the other city lords right away…

Rita found herself stumped. The only person she could think of was Apache.

She groaned inwardly, covering her face. *Why does this feel like I'm getting slapped in the face?* Who's slapping her? But she had no better option. At least until she finished stealing those books from the Moon Lake City Library, Apache would likely ensure her safety.

With no time to waste, Rita destroyed the teleportation circle by the tombstone and sprinted back to the alchemy shop.

As she rounded the corner, she saw Apache approaching from the other direction. She dashed forward, reaching the shop door at the same time as Apache. The necromancer looked down at the tiny goblin barely reaching her knees. "What's the rush?"

Once inside, Kayden greeted them both with a smile. "Master~! Ravenclaw! Why are you so late today~?"

The shop was filled with the scent of sage, rose, and a hint of grape—a distinct aroma of memory-erasing potions.

Apache glanced at Kayden. "Did you drink a memory-erasing potion?"

Kayden cheerfully patted her bag. "I think so. But I ended up with 237 extra gold coins!"

For some reason, Apache instinctively looked down at the goblin.

Rita: *Let the acting begin!*

The goblin immediately turned to Kayden with concern. "You weren't *forced* to drink it, were you?"

Then, as if sensing Apache's gaze, the goblin lifted her green head and met the necromancer's eyes. Her big, confused eyes soon filled with bemusement. "Master, you're not *suspecting* me, are you?"

Apache: *No evidence… but this gold-hoarding, turtle-like behavior… it's too suspicious.*

When Rita asked to carve the teleportation circle into the shop, Apache had stared at her for several seconds with a bemused smile before pointing her to the kitchen. Only Kayden ever ventured there.

Ignoring Apache's gaze, Rita nonchalantly went to the kitchen and inscribed the teleportation circle on the ceiling.

When she returned to Blue Star and crawled out from under the bed, she heard the doorbell ring. Glancing at the map, she saw two figures marked by the *Screening Water Curtain*. Most likely, it was Scarlett and Samuel.

After finishing her daily three-coin production, Rita dropped her *Disguise* and crawled out from under the bed. Nivalis was curled up on the bed, fast asleep. Her small, round belly rose and fell with each breath, making her look like she could be squished by someone sitting on her.

Ever since contracting Nivalis, the little dragon had done nothing but eat, sleep, and play with the neighborhood cats. She was noticeably bigger now.

Rita hadn't gone out of her way to bond deeply with Nivalis. To her, the dragon was a roommate, a friend, and an occasional assistant—someone who would help when needed. She wasn't relying on Nivalis for her life. Their relationship was one of mutual respect. Whether Rita was stronger now or Nivalis became stronger later, their contract was one of equality.

This approach seemed to suit Nivalis just fine. Initially, the dragon had preferred to sleep in the guest room, then moved to Rita's bedroom. At first, she conjured a cloud to sleep on, but lately, she'd taken to sleeping in the bed. Rita had even given her a diamond-studded pillow, per her request.

Downstairs, Rita let Samuel and Scarlett into the house. After only a few days, they both looked noticeably more worn out.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

*What happened? Did Rick scare them?*

This was too good an opportunity to pass up.

"Did you tell Rick about the pregnancy yet? I've been holding it in, but it feels like such a big surprise for you to share!"